ArcticBlaze
by Dolfinz
Summary: Andraya Saino, a 15-year-old OZ soldier faces emotional battles involving new trust, loyalty, and friendship, all having to do with that Gundam Pilot we know and love as 02. Chapter 11 up!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing…go figure!!

A/N: PG-13 for language and junk…this is **NON YAOI** so if that's not ur thing then move on…ok that's it!! review please though J

**Arctic Blaze**

_By Dolfinz_

CHAPTER 1

"Hey, Andraya! Hurry up with those stats!"

"Yeah, ok, I'm coming!"

Andraya Saino, her arms full of papers covered with tiny numbers and complex statistics, rushed over to the man standing in front of a line of soldiers who had called her. He looked over the immense pile of papers, only to tell her that she had missed almost half of the expected content, and send her back to the lab to retrieve them.

How Andraya hated that lab! It was the darkest room in the entire base, with only a small light bulb hanging on a chain to provide a means to see by. The computer monitors gave off a bluish light that cast an eerie glow over the entire room, creating a rather spooky effect. Andraya was always sent to retrieve the printouts made by the scientists in this room, always sent on petty chores. Not that she wasn't a formidable soldier; she had earned her weight in compliments from the highest lieutenants in the organization. Perhaps that was the reason she was still below even them: they were jealous. Over the years, the OZ Organization had become somewhat corrupt, and many potentially great soldiers never got a chance to prove themselves worthy in battle. It was something Andraya loathed, yet something she could not change.

Entering the dark lab, she nodded her hello to the scientists seated at the computers. She was never much of a people person, fearing that becoming close to anyone, even as a friend, would ruin her as a soldier. She took her chosen occupation quite seriously, and wanted nothing to interfere with it.

To her dismay, Andraya found another large stack of papers waiting for her at the printer. Attempting to keep them in order, she carefully picked up the pile and began the walk back to Colonel Ruoy. Halfway down the hall, she felt a vibration in the floor beneath her. The vibration grew to more of a shaking, and she was thrown off her feet. The stack of papers fluttered down around her, becoming out of order.

"Argh! Stupid Specials, had to land NOW of all times," she muttered to herself, used to the shaking of the ground whenever a group of mobile suits landed at the base.

However, the ground continued to shake, disrupting her futile attempts to set the papers back in order. The shaking grew in intensity, and the red warning lights in the hallways began to glow in their programmed pattern.

"What the HELL is going on here?!" she demanded of no one in particular, abandoning the once-organized pile of papers on the floor and running to the front of the base. Panic-stricken soldiers were rushing about, trying to get out of the base. Andraya calmly jogged through the crowd of amateur soldiers and through the main entrance to the base. After running a ways away, she turned back to see what the commotion was about.

"What the--BLAST IT!" she cried, seeing the cause of the panic at last. Above the base, hovering in a deadly stance, was a Gundam. "BLAST IT ALL TO HELL!" She attempted to find someone of authority who could giver her instruction, but found no one. She instead discovered an unoccupied Aries suit, and jumped inside, lowering her goggles to her eyes. She fastened the restraints around her slim body, and prepared to try and protect her base.

She took off and flew straight at the Gundam, laser cannon held high. She flew around it once first, to lure its attention away from the base and towards her. When it did not turn around, she began firing rapid shots at its back, trying desperately to divert its attention.

"What the…it's not even SCARRED!" she cried in dismay, seeing her futile attacks not even make a scratch on the more sophisticated suit. Still, she kept pummeling shots at the Gundam just to engage a battle away from the base. Her duty as an OZ Soldier was partly to protect her base, and she planned to fulfill her duty.

At last the Gundam turned around. It was mostly black and navy blue, with an intimidating ribcage-like form around its middle, making it look more like a corpse than a mobile suit. Its two sets of wings were unfolded and loomed above it as it held a green glowing scythe high in the air, ready to attack Andraya and fight to the death. Andraya recognized this suit to be the one piloted by Gundam Pilot 02, but knew little more than that. Still, she was prepared to die trying to defend her base, and intended to defeat this enemy before it could even put a dent in the steel of the roof.

The Gundam zoomed towards her, scythe ready to attack its opposition. Andraya rapidly flew in seemingly erratic movements to avoid the larger suit, all the while firing shot after shot at the Gundam's weak points that she had learned in her classes. Some of them hit home, though she did not do much damage.

Seeing that there was no way to defeat this enemy, Andraya began to slowly lead the battle away from the base. Flying above the treetops, she dodged attack after attack made by the Gundam and began to cause considerable damage to parts of it. Suddenly, the Gundam ceased attacking and flew back to the base, lowering its scythe.

Andraya knew better than to think she had won; the Gundam had hardly fought to its full potential anyway, though she hardly knew why. Perhaps the pilot wanted to keep her alive for interrogation, or just wanted to see her suffer later. Either way, her attempts to protect her base had failed, and it wouldn't matter what would happen to her now anyway.

Already knowing what she would find, Andraya flew back to the base just in time to see the Gundam hold out its arm and shoot something off of it. When the weapon made contact with the base, it immediately went up in flames, and Andraya knew there would be no survivors. She flew to a clearing in the woods, and set her Aries down. Exiting the suit, she almost turned to run away, one final attempt to avoid this hideous Gundam pilot. But after only a moment of thought, she knew she could never outrun him; Gundams had the best tracking systems of all the mobile suits in the world and the colonies.

Sure enough, the Gundam piloted by 02 landed in the clearing after only a few moments, causing a whirlwind of leaves and foliage beneath it. Andraya, still standing in the middle of the clearing in her OZ uniform, put her hands up in surrender. She had been beaten, and she knew it.

Pilot 02 came out of the Gundam, gun held in hand. He immediately pointed it at Andraya, and slowly came up to meet her.

Andraya had never seen a Gundam pilot before. She had heard about their amazing piloting skills, yes, but somehow, in her classes, she seemed to imagine these teenagers as somehow not quite real, and it was a shock to see one in person. This one was wearing all black, and had a long chestnut braid that blew behind him in the slight breeze. For some reason, he sported a minister's collar around his neck, but Andraya knew that this teenage boy could not be a priest.

"Why did you surrender?" the Gundam pilot said, glaring suspiciously at the OZ soldier.

Andraya remained silent.

"Ok, miss. Let's not make this harder than it has to, shall we?" this pilot seemed a little too carefree to Andraya, especially given the situation. Maybe he was hiding something…

"Ok, I'm gonna ask you one more time. Why did you surrender to me? You had a few good minutes to run away under the cover of all these trees!" the pilot said, gesturing to the forest around them. He still held the gun at Andraya.

"You would have found me," she said matter-of-factly. "You know you would have."

"Well, well, well! Feisty one!" the pilot scratched his head, seemingly pondering what to do with the OZ soldier. "Well, ya know, I can't let you go free."

"No shit."

"Aha. So what am I going to do with you…" he said, a smirk growing on his face.

"Are you taunting me?" Andraya said, growing angry with this carefree pilot.

"Why do you say that? I'm simply wondering--HEY!" Andraya had suddenly sprung into a fighting stance and knocked the gun out of the Gundam pilot's hand. Back-flipping neatly, she caught the gun in mid-air and now held it at the other pilot.

"Look who's in control now," she said.


	2. Chapter 2

**Arctic Blaze**

_By Dolfinz_

CHAPTER 2

Andraya leveled the gun even with the Gundam pilot's chest, ready to fire at the teenager that had destroyed her base. To her surprise, the pilot just smiled and held out his hand.

"Give me the gun, Andraya. I never intended to harm you anyhow," he said.

Andraya held fast to the gun. "How the hell did you know my name?" she demanded.

"What, you think I let you win that battle on purpose? You really thought you had defeated a Gundam?!" the male pilot began to laugh a little.

_Click-click_. Andraya removed the safety on the gun.

"Andraya, you remember the Maxwell Church Tragedy, yes?" the Gundam pilot said, not flinching in the slightest, yet ceasing his laughter.

Upon hearing those words, Andraya lowered the gun slowly, until it was dangling at her side. She had not heard of the Tragedy in almost 7 years, and hearing it now brought back the painful memories attached to it.

Suddenly, Andraya was transported back to the time when she had been naïve enough to imagine that having a home ensured her safety. She was laughing with her friends in the L2 colony cluster, walking home from school under the artificial sunlight and cloud-scattered sky. She could still see the mobile suits attack her only home, still feel the sudden violence of the shaking, still be repelled by the heat of the fires, still cry the tears that she had cried when she saw her home leveled to the ground. She could still remember the soldiers almost trampling her, ransacking her home and those of her friends and neighbors. She could still smell the burning flesh and hear the cries of distress as others found their families gone forever.

She somehow had walked through it all, witnessing countless scenes of tragedy and pain, both physical and emotional. She had eventually found herself at the remains of a church, which she later came to identify as the basis for the name of the Maxwell Tragedy. In only a few moments of standing there watching a small boy blame himself for the death of his loved ones, Andraya had learned the lesson that would forever shape her lifestyle. She had learned the one thing that had made her a good soldier, the one thing that had kept her alive after all these years of fighting.

That day, Andraya learned that getting close to people meant getting hurt, and the hurt that was felt was one that could never be healed. In less than 5 minutes, she had lost her friends, family, home, and community, all to war, just like countless other innocent people. She had continued to walk on until she found a friend of her deceased mother, who suggested her becoming a soldier to try and prevent further incidents like the one she was witnessing. From that day on, Andraya had been an OZ Soldier. They told her that OZ had tried to prevent the attack on her home colony, and, had they had complete supremacy, her family would never have perished. She believed them.

"Andraya?" the Gundam pilot said, bringing Andraya back to the present.

"How…why do you mention it?" she asked.

"Why don't you come with me," the male pilot suggested, a look of slight sympathy and pain coming across his face.

Reluctantly, Andraya placed the gun in the Gundam pilot's outstretched hand, and climbed up into her Aries cockpit. The memories brought back to her had sobered her, and brought the painful realization that she had lost yet another of her homes. She had no where else to go now.

"By the way!" the male pilot called, standing outside the cockpit of his Gundam. "My name's Duo. Duo Maxwell."

"Andraya Saino," she called back, a bit surprised at the last name of the teenager.

"I knew that," Duo said, climbing into the cockpit of his Gundam.

With a reluctant sigh, Andraya followed Duo out of the forest and over the Pacific Ocean for a ways. There was nothing else she could do. Her living arrangements had a habit of being destroyed by the enemy, and she had nowhere else to go now. And besides, Andraya had a feeling that this Duo Maxwell was the little boy she remembered from the Tragedy back in L2. She didn't know why he had asked her to go with him, but she was sure going to find out.

"Worst comes to worst, I can always kill him," Andraya said under her breath.

"What's that?" Duo replied. The intercom had been left on in Andraya's Aries.

"Nothing," she replied, shutting off the intercom with a smirk. "Just planning your demise."


	3. Chapter 3

**Arctic Blaze**

_By Dolfinz_

CHAPTER 3

The busy hum of the hangar Andraya was led to reminded her faintly of the OZ base she had just seen destroyed. Workers playfully teased each other, supervisors telling them to get back to work. Besides the one Duo had just brought in, there were 2 other Gundams currently being repaired in the large hangar. Andraya instantly recognized them as the suits piloted by Gundam pilots 01 and 05, once again reminding her of her most recently destroyed home. With a sigh, she climbed down from her Aries suit to a catwalk stretching across the hangar's length, and followed a smiling Duo into a quieter corridor. After a few moments, he led her to a closed door with sounds of arguing and fist-slamming coming from behind it.

"Ah, always good to see these guys," Duo said somewhat sarcastically, knocking loudly on the door. The noise inside instantly ceased.

Without waiting for a response, Duo opened the door, gesturing for Andraya to enter first. As she did so, she was greeted with an atmosphere that reminded her of the lab back at the OZ base. The room was dimly lit, with computer screens flashing various messages here and there. Five rather old looking men sat at a table in the center of the room, all of which looked up at Andraya as she entered. Duo came in and shut the door behind him.

"Whaddya know! Another mission completed successfully by the great Shinigami!" Duo proclaimed, seating himself backwards on a chair by a computer. "Andraya Saino, at your service, gentlemen!"

Andraya remained silent and still as a stone. She was staring at Professor G, instantly picking him out of the 5 men before her. He looked the same as she had remembered him from the last time they had met, and now looked at him quizzically, as if to silently ask what was going on.

"I take it you remember me then," came the response from the scientist.

"What?!" Duo said, surprised that the female pilot and scientist knew each other.

Andraya simply nodded.

"And you would like to know why I have requested your presence."

Andraya nodded again.

"It has come to my attention," the old scientist said, rising from his chair, "That you have made excellent progress in your training as an OZ soldier." He walked over to a table and started absently playing with a mini projector.

"One of the best!" Duo piped in.

"And," Professor G continued with a glare in Duo's direction, "It has also come to my attention that you became an OZ soldier because they tried to protect your family in the wars 8 years ago."

Andraya hissed her response. "You don't know anything about me," she said coldly,

"I know more than you think. And I would appreciate your cooperation here, at least for the time being," the scientist said calmly.

Andraya nodded reluctantly. "Why do you care why I became a soldier?"

"Because… well…" The scientist now made the mini projector he had been toying with come to life, projecting an image of a Gundam Andraya had never seen before on the wall opposite him.

"Do you recognize this suit?"

"No…should I?"

"It is meant to be yours."

_A Gundam pilot? Me?!_ she thought, taken aback by the old man's words and finally understanding the intent of her capture. Apparently sensing her realization, the scientist went on to elaborate.

"Eight years ago, a massacre known as the Maxwell Tragedy took place. I take it you remember it well," the scientist began.

Andraya gave curt nod. "You know that."

The scientist sighed in slight frustration, but continued on. "There were only a few survivors of the battle--"

"It wasn't a battle. Battles are two-sided, where each side has a fighting chance. This was an invasion," Andraya said, her voice shaking ever so slightly.

"Fine, there were only a few survivors of the _invasion_," the scientist corrected.

"I know all this," Andraya said, feeling the conversation was going nowhere. "There was me, a handful of war orphans, and a few soldiers who escaped the suppression of their rebellion."

"Yes, that's correct." The scientist paused for a moment. "Did you recognize Duo before he identified himself?"

"Not really," Andraya admitted. "But I have come to the conclusion that he was the boy from the church that I saw the day of the Tragedy."

Duo folded his arms over the back of the chair he was sitting on and rested his head down on them, a more serious and severe expression overpowering his usual happy-go-lucky one.

"You are correct in thinking that," the scientist affirmed. "But you don't remember him from the Sweepers. That's surprising, being your…_trip_ there was only 2 years ago."

An angry look came across Andraya's face. "I was fulfilling my duty," she said slowly, through teeth clenched in anger. "I wasn't exactly sightseeing."

"Hmm," the professor said, glancing back at the projection still lighting up the wall opposite him.

"Enough of this!" Andraya said, slamming her fist on the scientist's table for emphasis. Everyone in the room looked up at the sudden interruption of the somewhat placid conversation. "Tell me why you meant to bring me here," she said, in a somewhat calmer tone. "And why you want me to pilot that thing."

"We have recently voted amongst ourselves," the scientist said, gesturing to the table of his so-far silent colleagues, "To find another suitable soldier to fill the spot of a 6th Gundam pilot, to pilot this suit, Arcticblaze." Professor G gestured to the projection he was making on the wall. "I knew where you were located, and that you were an outstanding pilot, and therefore thought you to be an excellent choice to pilot this new suit."

Andraya now looked more closely at the projection of the Gundam she couldn't identify earlier. It reminded her of Duo's Gundam, actually, except for a few minor differences here and there. There were no intimidating bat wings looming above this suit, no wings at all for that matter. The suit was mostly a medium blue and black with a navy middle and head. It was posed in a fighting stance, holding a weapon she had never seen before. Its eyes glowed green, completing the suit's threatening presence. It looked formidable enough to Andraya, something that would be granted her second glance in a battle.

"Andraya, we are asking you to do something you may flat out refuse to do," Professor G began again, looking Andraya straight in the eye. "I am going to ask that you consider becoming the pilot of this suit, which I strongly believe you can do with only some minor training. I know what OZ has told you, all the lies they have made you believe--"

"Lies? Such as what?" Andraya was beginning to dislike this whole situation she had been brought into.

"Such as the fact the OZ tried to protect L2 the day of the invasion," the scientist clarified, using the word Andraya had coined for the battle 8 years ago. "In fact, OZ was one of the two organizations who suppressed the colony's defense when the people tried to fight back."

Andraya was shocked, her head spinning. She couldn't decide who was telling her the truth--her OZ colleagues and mentors, whom she had lived and trained with for 7 years, or this old scientist whom she had just really met. The decision seemed easily made in her mind, but there was something about the way this old man spoke that made her give the decision a second thought. And the very fact the he sought her out to tell her this…

"Aw, c'mon Andraya!" Duo piped up again, regaining his usual optimistic personality. "You have excellent piloting skills, and without that awful Aries suit limiting your capabilities…" he ended with a rather convincing look directed straight into Andraya's eyes.

Andraya sighed. "This isn't a decision I can make quickly," she said firmly.

"Of course it's not. Why don't you stay here for a few days, until you have had time to think things through a little more. I'm sure Howard wouldn't object to your staying." Professor G said, referring to the owner of the hangar they were in.

Andraya nodded, and found herself thanking him before being led out of the room by Duo. _I guess this'll be my new home for now…_ she thought, following Duo down the hall once more. _I just wonder how long that will be true._


	4. Chapter 4 and Author Note

A/N: thought it was time fer an author's note….hahaha…so this story seems to be going over well!! Yay! Well I just wanted to mention that the reason the chapters come every day is cuz I have a bunch of chapters already written…so if theres a small gap and chapters come once every week or possibly a little shorter u'll know that's when the stock ran out! ;) so keep reading and reviewing….i really appreciate the reviews!! Also any suggestions or anything else u have to say is helpful and appreciated. That's it now! I promise! Read the chapter J

**Arctic Blaze**

_By Dolfinz_

CHAPTER 4

"So! This is your room, hope you're comfortable!" Duo said cheerily as he unlocked a room in the corridor leading to the hangar. He threw the key he had just used on the bed.

Andraya silently surveyed the room, finding it suitable. It was a small rectangular shaped room, with a bed against one wall and a desk opposite it. In the wall opposite the door was a small window, just large enough to see a small piece of the horizon through.

"So…" Duo said, realizing that Andraya was not going to speak. "Why don't I introduce you to the regs around here so you can get some rest. You _are_ tired, aren't you?" he asked, cocking his head at the female pilot.

Andraya nodded, and once again followed Duo to the hangar. As soon as they entered the massive room, they were greeted by an older man who seemed to be in charge of everything.

"Hey, Duo! Who's your friend here?" he asked, smiling at Andraya.

"This is the new Gundam pilot, Andraya Saino. Andraya, this is Howard, the brains behind this excuse for an operation," Duo said cheerily.

"Nice to meet ya!" Howard said. "I'd love to stay and chat, however I have to set these dimwit excuses for repairmen back in line!" He began yelling down to some men chatting at a console, and Duo led Andraya on.

They walked down the catwalk a ways, then stopped at the Gundam Andraya knew was piloted by 05.

"Hey Wu-Man!" Duo called up to the Gundam looming over them. A second later, a Chinese boy exited the cockpit and glared down at the two teenagers who had disturbed him from his repairs. He easily leaped down to the catwalk, awaiting introductions.

"Who's this?" he asked, glaring at Andraya.

"This is Andraya Saino, the 6th Gundam pilot the sci-guys were tellin' us about," Duo said. "Andraya, this is Wufei Chang, but he likes to be called Wu-Man," he finished with a mischievous glint in his cobalt eyes.

"A _woman_," Wufei contemplated, taking no note of Duo introducing him by his hated nickname. "They chose a _woman_?"

"Charming crowd," Andraya said to Duo, who just laughed and playfully punched Wufei on the arm before leading Andraya down the catwalk.

"Watch it, Maxwell!" Wufei called after them, then went back to repairing his beloved Gundam.

"He's a pain, but you'll get used to him," Duo told Andraya before stopping at the next Gundam in line. "Yo, Heero! You up there, buddy?"

"What do you want, Duo," a frustrated voice said from the cockpit of the Gundam.

"I got the new Gundam pilot here! Wouldn't ya like to meet her?" Duo called up to the other pilot.

"Her?" Heero mumbled before appearing before Duo and Andraya.

"Her name's Andraya Saino. Andraya, this is Heero Yuy."

"Pleasure," Heero briefly nodded at his potential colleague, then went back to his repairs.

"Aw, they're really not that bad!" Duo assured Andraya, who had come to the logical conclusion that most of the people hanging around were overall antisocial. "If Quatre had been here…" Duo started to laugh a little.

"So where's that suit from the projection?" Andraya asked the male pilot.

"Aha! Curious! So you're gonna say yes, right?" Duo said, a grin forming on his face.

"How can I say yes to piloting a suit I've never even seen?" Andraya said, coldness forming in her voice.

"Look, lady, we didn't _have_ to pick you, I didn't _have_ to go get you out of that base, though you _did_ make that part slightly easier than I thought it would be…" Duo mused. "But seriously though. Try to consider this, OK? We could really use your help around here."

Andraya was startled by the first serious words to leave her companion's mouth since she had met him. _Do they really need me that badly?_ she contemplated, before following Duo to the other side of the hangar. It was an odd thing to consider, switching sides in the middle of a war. No matter how much Duo bugged her, however, it simply was not a decision she could make so quickly.

"Here we are!" Duo said, his regular cheerfulness returning to his voice. "Arcticblaze, at your service!"

Andraya gasped slightly as she looked up at the massive suit. It was just so _big_! All of the suits she had piloted previously were miniscule compared to this Gundam before her. As she stared in awe at the height of the Gundam however, Duo jumped inside and made the suit come to life.

"You wanna see what this thing can do?" he asked over the speaker. When Andraya nodded, he flew the suit out of the hangar and over the ocean.

Andraya ran up a flight of stairs to the top of the hangar, so that she was standing on the roof. Duo spotted her, then began his demonstration. Grasping a long rifle off the back of the suit, Duo brought it down level with a piece of scrap metal floating in the water. After a few seconds of whirring and buzzing, the cannon fired, and, to Andraya's surprise, the piece of metal, along with a considerable amount of the water around it, froze for a split second, then shattered into a million pieces. Some of the pieces found their way to the roof of the hangar, and Andraya picked one up.

"Ouch!" she yelped, throwing down the scrap quickly. The scrap had been so cold it was almost…_hot_, a truly painful sensation.

"Weird, isn't it?" Duo called over the speaker, and Andraya nodded. "You sure got a unique weapon here, miss! No one would ever expect a freezing effect to come from a buster rifle shell!" Then he replaced the rifle and started to show off a series of other tricks that the suit could do.

Andraya watched in awe as she saw the capabilities of a suit she could one day pilot. Had this suit been presented to her at the OZ base, she would have jumped at the chance to pilot it. No, the only thing holding her back here was that with the piloting of this suit came new loyalty, a loyalty she wasn't sure she was ready to proclaim. Sure, OZ had been harsh to her, never allowing her the possibility to climb in rank, but had they been lying to her all along? Just to keep her loyalty on their side?

Andraya was startled from her thoughts by a splashing sound in the distance. At first, she thought Duo had lost control of the suit and dived underwater while she had been distracted by her thoughts. However, in a few moments, Arcticblaze burst through the surface and went to hover so that its head was directly in front of Andraya.

"Did I mention it goes underwater, and that all the weapons still function when submerged?" Duo boasted. "Don't think any of those OZ suits you fly around can do that…" he teased, snapping the huge Gundanium suit into a salute.

Andraya found herself laughing at the silly mannerisms of the Gundam pilot. It was the first time she had done so in a long time, maybe years. It hit her then that maybe OZ _had_ deprived her of more than just rank, had deprived her of certain truths which affected where she placed her loyalty. It was something else to consider, something else to influence her decision.

Duo flew the new Gundam back into the hangar, and Andraya headed back down the staircase to meet him. Still unsure of what she would decide, she gratefully agreed to Duo's suggestion to retire for the day, and headed back to her new room to try and get some sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Arctic Blaze**

_By Dolfinz_

CHAPTER 5

Early the next morning, Andraya Saino was awake and alert, as she had been for the last 7 years as a soldier for the OZ Organization. She wandered about the hangar, seeing no one, and eventually found herself sitting on the catwalk before the huge Gundam Arcticblaze. It was truly beautiful, she decided, or about as beautiful as a killing machine, such as it was, could be. The very form and colors chosen for the suit were what held the female soldier's awe, along with its enormous size. It was…a work of art, as well as a formidable weapon, unlike any other suit Andraya had ever seen. The Aries and Leos she had piloted in the past were just so primitive compared to this Gundam in front of her. They were built for purpose, and purpose alone.

_Not like this suit, _she thought. _No, this suit was built very carefully, perfect to the very last detail._

She realized with a start that she was beginning to build a strong desire to pilot this Gundam, a thought that nearly made her escape, right then and there. She launched into a serious of weighed thoughts, trying desperately to convince herself that the righteous side was OZ. Yet no matter how much she pondered the situation, she realized that no matter where she had been, what she had been doing, she had never exactly known why.

She leaned back against the rail of the catwalk and tucked her knees under her chin. Professor G's words played again and again in her mind…

"_I know what OZ has told you, all the lies they have made you believe…"_

Had she been wrong all along? Had OZ really lied to her for so many years? Were their justifications for the destruction she had caused really just?

Duo's sudden seriousness also invaded her thoughts:

_"We could really use your help around here."_

Upon the thought of the carefree pilot, the sound of her laughter came rushing back to her. It sounded so foreign, so awkward. It was something she had not done in earnest since the day of the Tragedy.

And for a fleeting moment, Andraya felt like she belonged somewhere. Like she was needed. Like she could truly leave her mark as a soldier somewhere.

Like she could finally avenge her family's death.

Andraya rose, now standing before the amazing suit called Arcticblaze. She had made her decision, and realized with a sigh that, for the last 7 years of her life, she had been living a lie.

She would avenge that, too.

+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+

Andraya wandered, in search of Professor G, until she came across a brightly-lit room at one end of the corridor. Entering, she realized that it was a kitchen, and for the first time that morning noticed she was hungry.

"Hey, Andraya! Sleep well?" Duo greeted her cheerfully, seeing her enter.

Andraya only nodded, happy she found a place to get something to eat.

"Hey, you better work on your social skills, missy!" Duo said playfully. "Otherwise, you might just turn out like _him_!" He gestured to Heero, who was sitting at a table at one end of the room.

"Hn," came the reply, and Andraya laughed.

"You got anything to eat around here?" she asked, turning back to Duo.

"Are you kidding? You're forgetting that **_I_** live here most of the time!" Duo said, heading for the refrigerator.

"Exactly why she asked the question," Heero said.

Andraya laughed again. She would like it here, she concluded, making her all the more sure in her decision to stay and join the Gundam team. After eating breakfast, Duo led her back to the room where she had met the scientists the previous day.

"He wants to see you, regardless of whether you've made a decision or not," he informed her, knocking on the door. This time, he waited for a response before simply barging into the room.

"Well, then he'll be pleased to know that I've decided," she said as a voice from within the room bade them enter.

Duo grinned, seeming to sense what her decision would be. Going into the room, he sat down in the same chair as the day before, and in the same manner. Andraya stood before the large table that now seated only Professor G.

"Welcome back, Andraya. Please, have a seat," he offered, and Andraya sat down in the chair closest to her.

Andraya didn't wait for further prompting. She wanted to voice her decision before she changed her mind. "I've come to a decision," she said quietly.

"Oh?" the scientist said, seeming to already know what she was about to tell him.

"I've decided to join you, and to pilot Arcticblaze."

"A very wise decision, I assure you," the professor said, smiling a bit. "I'll have Duo teach you what you don't know about piloting the Gundam, since it is basically the same in both design and control as Deathscythe. As you may have already noticed, I created both."

Andraya nodded, thoughts swirling about her mind like a tornado.

_Well, this is it,_ she thought. _I've transferred my loyalty to the Gundam team._


	6. Chapter 6

**Arctic Blaze**

_By Dolfinz_

CHAPTER 6 

"Ok! So, this is the control panel for the Freeze Rifle, and this over here is for the beam saber. You got one of those too!" Duo was cheerfully explaining the controls of the new Gundam to Andraya. She was absorbing it all quickly, finding it to be somewhat similar to other suits she had piloted.

"Ok, I think I have everything," she said from her position on the ledge of the cockpit entrance. "But what's that do?" she inquired, pointing to a large red button shielded by a glass cover.

"Aha! Knew I missed something," Duo said from the cockpit seat. "That's the self-destruct button. Only press that baby if you absolutely have to! And hope it works…" he said with a sheepish grin.

"A self-destruct button?!" Andraya exclaimed, taken aback. None of the suits she had piloted in the past had been equipped with a self-destruct mechanism!

"Yeah, sure. But you probably won't be needing it, seeing how you're a top-gun pilot and all. All the Gundams are equipped with self-destruct systems, just in case you get in a tough position or whatever. Like I said though, you probably won't be needing it."

Andraya remained silent for a moment, realizing more and more each minute how much power was packed into the already enormous suit, power that would be up to her to control.

"So, think you're ready to take her for a spin?" Duo asked.

"What?! I…I don't think I'm ready…"

"Oh, sure ya are! I'll go out in Deathscythe in case you get into any trouble, ok?" Duo rose from the cockpit seat and jumped onto the catwalk. "See ya out there!" he yelled back to her, running to his Gundam.

Andraya slowly entered the huge cockpit and sat down. She carefully fastened the restraints across her slim body, and glanced around at the daunting number of controls surrounding her. "Well…here goes nothing," she said under he breath, activating the Gundam and closing the cockpit door. The three screens wrapping around the cockpit immediately flashed and showed the hangar around her, giving a 180 degree view of the outside to the female pilot. Small signal lights flashed and glowed in the many control panels in the cockpit, and it seemed as if the entire Gundam had come to life.

On the screen directly in front of her, Andraya saw Deathscythe also come to life and dash out of the hangar to hover over the ocean. With a nervous sigh, Andraya promptly followed, taking Arcticblaze out of the hangar at a slightly slower pace. Once over the ocean, however, Andraya became more confident and began to test the limits of her new mobile suit.

"Hey! You see? You're a natural!" Duo's voice came over the intercom. Deathscythe was hovering next to the hangar, ready in case Andraya lost control.

"It's so _fast_!" Andraya yelled back, flying in circles over the ocean. "It's…incredible!" Andraya found it exhilarating even just to fly the new suit.

"Try to do something else!" Duo said.

"Like what? This is amazing!"

Duo laughed at Andraya's immense awe of her new Gundam. "Try the freeze rifle!" he suggested. "But stop first!" he added, imaging what might happen otherwise.

Andraya hovered her Gundam over the ocean, a few hundred feet away from the hangar. Rotating the suit's mechanical head, Andraya searched for something she could freeze. Finally, she spotted a piece of scrap metal floating nearby.

Reaching behind its back, Arcticblaze lifted the deceptive weapon from its holster, bringing it down level with the scrap. Inside, Andraya brought down the targeting eyepiece, and locked onto her first target. She pulled the trigger, and in seconds the metal and some of the surrounding water turned to ice and shattered.

"Woooooooooo!" Andraya yelled, cheering for her first successful attack. She brought up a vid-screen connection with Duo's Gundam. "How cool was that?!"

Duo laughed at his new colleague's sudden enthusiasm. "I may be wrong, but I think you are gonna be one hell of a Gundam pilot, missy!"

Andraya beamed, proud of her mastery of the new mobile suit. _I think this is going to work out,_ she thought, now completely sound in her decision to join the Gundam team.

_I definitely made the right choice._


	7. Chapter 7 and Author Note

A/N: Finally another chap!! Sorry its takin so long guyz…but with skewl and everything life is kinda hectic and all…I will get these out as fast as I can so sorry in advance for any delays in postings. Thanks for reviewing!!! hint hint

**Arctic Blaze**

_By Dolfinz_

CHAPTER 7

Only weeks later, Andraya had fallen into the customs of the hangar, and became one of the gang. She got along with everyone around her, and certainly pulled her weight in regard to repairs and maintenance.

One night she had wandered onto the roof of the hangar, where she had first seen Arcticblaze in action. It became her custom to come here almost every night to watch the water and the stars. It reminded her of her place in the universe, and her responsibility as a soldier.

Leaning against the railing at the top of the stairwell, she watched the waves crash against one another under the silvery light of the full moon. Sighing, she remembered her days as an OZ soldier, of all the bad treatment she had put up with and the homes she had lost.

"I see you've found one of my favorite spots on a full moon," a voice said from behind her, breaking into her nostalgia. Starting slightly, Andraya turned around to find Duo coming up the steps. When he reached the top, he came to lean on the railing beside her.

"Yeah…it's really nice out here at night," she said, glancing sideways at her friend. She could sense something odd about the way he was acting tonight, but she couldn't figure out just what. They stood in silence for a few moments, and for the first time, it felt awkward to Andraya.

"You're not going anywhere, are you? I mean, you're positive in your decision to join us, right?" Duo said, looking down at the waves.

"Of course!" Andraya said, taken aback by the question. "Why do you ask?"

"I didn't mean it in an accusing way," Duo said quickly, finally meeting her gaze. "I just…wanted to make sure you're not going anywhere anytime soon."

"Well, I'm not," Andraya said, still wondering why he had asked the question. Didn't he trust her? Hadn't the past few weeks proven her loyalty once and for all?

"Good." Duo's gaze returned to the horizon.

"That's not why you ask though, is it?" Andraya said, knowing there was something else he had to say.

With a sigh, Duo just lifted his gaze to the moon for a moment, then turned around and headed back to the hangar. Andraya watched him retreat, not quite certain of what was going on.

After a few moments, Andraya cleared the thought from her mind and headed back to the hangar as well.

"Duo?" Andraya called, looking around the hangar.

"Up here, Andraya!" the response came from somewhere inside Deathscythe.

"Doing repairs at this hour?" Andraya called, walking along the catwalk towards Duo's Gundam.

"Yeah…the comm system is goin' haywire and--DAMN IT!" A sharp crack split the air, recognizable to Andraya as an electrical short.

"Argh! Hey, Andraya?" Duo's head popped out of Deathscythe's cockpit. "You think you could do me a favor and go to the comm room so I can test this thing out…when I get it working…" Another crack.

"Sure, Duo." Andraya laughed to herself a bit as she headed towards the comm room adjacent to the hangar. This kind of thing always seemed to happen to Duo.

+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+

With a sigh, Andraya once again glanced at the comm display in front of her, and once again found it to be blank. _Duo must be having some pretty tough problems back in the hangar, _she thought. She was about to get up and go see what was going on when a comm station behind her began to beep softly, alerting her that it was receiving an incoming message.

"What the hell…" she mumbled to herself, pivoting to face the beeping console. Quickly scanning the info on the screen, she became aware that the message was being transmitted from an OZ base somewhere to the west, probably from the HQ in Tokyo. She was about to disregard this communication and end the transmission when her eyes swept across the sender's name.

Zia Yang.

"ZIA?!" Andraya exclaimed, pressing the button to activate the transmission.

"Hey-hey, 'Draya! So surprised to see me?" Zia said with a smirk. She had her light brown hair tied back in a tight ponytail, and wore the OZ uniform Andraya had come to loathe.

"Well…yes!! I mean…the base--"

"I wasn't even in the base. I was in a training program off site when that Gundam came. I'm so glad I tracked you down, 'Draya! I thought you had gone down with the base…"

"Hell, no! I fought to the end," Andraya said. _Then switched my loyalty…_

Zia chuckled. "I thought as much. So how come I had to dig so much to find where you're at? The coordinates don't check out as any OZ facility in MY database…"

"It wouldn't." Andraya began to play with the hem of her jacket, which called Zia's attention to her outfit.

"Yo, 'Draya! What's with that leather get-up?" Zia asked, looking at Andraya's black leather jacket over the light gray tank top. "Find someplace to ditch that wretched uniform?"

"Well, Zia…I…" Andraya knew saying what she was about to would only anger her friend, but she knew she had to do it. Zia looked at her quizzically. "I joined the Gundams."

"You…..oh," Zia said, looking oddly at her friend. "I might have thought as much, from your location and all…"

"Zia, I thought it was the right thing to do, I--"

"No need for explanation, 'Draya! This is a war! Stuff happens."

"I guess…"

"Hey, my boss is naggin' me to get back to repairing some of these new Dolls we got in yesterday. Take care, Okay 'Draya?"

"Yup, you too Zia." Andraya cut the connection. For a moment she just stared at the blank screen, remembering how proud Zia used to be of her when they had first started out as soldiers. Remembering the few good times she had had in her life.

Suddenly remembering what she was supposed to be doing, Andraya pivoted back to the comm station Duo would be contacting her on. The transmission had gone through while Andraya had been talking with Zia, and Andraya hadn't answered.

"You know, Andraya, I really trusted you."

"Wha--" Andraya looked up from the screen to see who had spoken. "Duo?!"

Duo only glared rather uncharacteristically back at her.


	8. Chapter 8

**Arctic Blaze**

_By Dolfinz_

Chapter 8

"Duo…she's only my friend…I--I thought she was _dead_…I…" Andraya found herself stuttering, making herself seem even more suspicious.

"You know as well as I do that every damn frequency in this room isn't listed anywhere OZ could manage to look." Duo was still glaring at her from the doorway.

"I don't know how she got the frequency! She said she had to dig--"

"She didn't have to _dig_! The only possibility is that _you_ contacted _her_!"

"You have that little trust in me to think I'd actually _do_ a thing like that?!" Andraya was completely taken aback. She had proved her loyalty to the Gundams so many times already!

"As I said, I really trusted you." Duo said, his face hardening with every word. "_Before_ you contacted that OZ girl."

"Even if I _did_, it wouldn't have caused any harm!"

"She could know our coordinates! You know how easy it is to trace a vid-screen connection!" Duo was screaming at her now, anger Andraya had never known him to possess boiling to the surface.

Andraya opened her mouth to protest once again, but was cut off by the room suddenly shaking violently. Warning lights began their shrill alarm, bathing the room in a bright red light.

"Wouldn't cause any harm, huh?" Duo said sternly, eyes drilling into Andraya's. With one last glare, he turned and ran back into the hangar, ready to defend his base.

"Duo…" Andraya whispered. Snapping back into reality, she hurried to the hangar, ready to win back the respect that Duo had given her right from the start.

+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+

It pained Andraya to see her new home once again being attacked. There were Leos and Aries marked with the OZ insignia swarming around the hangar like bees around their nest. The 3 other Gundams that were present at the base were already eliminating them, though it was a slow process. OZ had the advantage of numbers, but the Gundams had more skill on their side.

No one noticed Andraya helping to attack the OZ mobile suits in the frenzy of the battle. Had Duo noticed that she was in her Gundam, he might have ignored the OZ suits and started attacking _her_. Andraya sighed at the thought. _Then again, it does look as if this _is_ my fault after all… _She shook her head. _No, she wouldn't betray me!_

Eventually, the 4 Gundams wiped out all of the visible OZ suits attacking the base.

"I still have one more on radar," Wufei said over the intercom.

"I see the blip…but where's the suit?" Duo now spoke, and Deathscythe began scanning the horizon.

"It's not that far out. Probably underwater," Heero said.

"I'll get it." Andraya's face was molded into a look of sheer determination. She knew who she'd find underwater. She thrusted Arcticblaze into a sharp dive, straight for the spot indicated on the radar as the enemy. Suddenly, a vid-screen opened in her cockpit, making Andraya pull up short, mere meters from the ocean's surface.

"Hello, Andraya," Zia said, a sly look coming over her face. "Surprise."

"Zia." Andraya said the name for what seemed like the hundredth time that day, only this time, it was with contempt.

"Hmph. So surprised to see me now? You _must_ have known I was up to something more…"

"No Zia, I didn't. You were the first person I trusted." Andraya spoke in short sentences through her clenched teeth.

"Ah, now you see once again what happens when you place too much trust in someone. Hmm, thought you would have learned that by now, 'Draya. I thought you were smarter than that…"

"Zia…." Andraya couldn't think of anything to say to this girl on the screen whom she thought she knew so well. The girl who she had trusted. This girl who betrayed her.

"Aw, no comeback, 'Draya?" Zia sneered.

"I will destroy you!!!!" Andraya screamed, plunging her Gundam into the water. She dove to the bottom, the immense weight of the suit helping her sink. She walked along the ocean floor, crushing coral with every step. Finally, she found the modified Pisces hovering in the water. _This is going to be a piece of cake,_ Andraya thought, seeing the weak suit she was up against.

"Don't underestimate me, Andraya," Zia said, as if she could read Andraya's thoughts. "I'm better than you think."

_That's it,_ Andraya thought, reaching for her freeze rifle. Just as she grabbed it, Zia revealed two hidden cannons in her suit and fired on Andraya. The match would be a close one.

+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+

Above the water, Duo only saw the geyser of water explode from the ocean, then fall back with an enormous splash. _Who was hit?!_ he thought as he furiously tried to establish a connection with Arcticblaze. Red lights lit up across the comm board, and Duo fell back in his seat with a groan of frustration.

"Why can't this thing ever work right?!" he cried, pounding on the panel. Suddenly, there was a burst of water from the ocean as a mobile suit rose from it.

Arcticblaze.

With a sigh of relief, Duo turned to head back for the hangar when he heard the sound of a Gundam taking off behind him. _What the hell?!_ he thought, spinning back around to look.

"Andraya?!" he exclaimed, watching her Gundam fly off into the horizon. He started his engines to follow, but at that moment his comm system decided to get back online.

"She probably just needs some time alone, Duo. Just wait until she comes back," Heero said, already back in the hangar.

"But…I…" Duo was torn between his two options. He knew he should go back to the base and wait for Andraya's to return, but something was nagging at him to follow her anyhow.

"I'm sorry, Heero, but I can't do that," Duo decided, taking off in the direction he had seen Arcticblaze disappear towards.

Back in the hangar, Heero only shook his head in a kind of reluctant understanding, then leaped to the catwalk and headed for his dorm.


	9. Chapter 9 and Author Note

**A/N: sorry this took so long, my faithful reviewers! But I have been so unbelievably busy lately it's not even funny….I will try to get these up as fast as humanly possible, I promise! I love this story and will definitly see it through to its completion. Please tell me how you think it's progressing, and if you have any suggestions. This is my story but that doesn't mean you can't make it better or more enjoyable to you! PLEASE REVIEW it inflates my ego ;) Ciao~ Chapter 9 **

            Andraya scanned the horizon for any sign of land, finding only the empty semi-circle she had been searching for what seemed like days. _Just over an hour, she reminded herself, glancing at her watch. She would find what she needed. All in good time._

            _I still can't believe she betrayed me… Andraya leaned back in her restraints, never taking her watchful glance off the horizon. __I trusted her so much…_

            '_Ah, now you see once again what happens when you place too much trust in someone'_

_            Zia's words had hit home deep in Andraya's heart, penetrating her soft spot, her weakest point. Her trust. The trust she had just been starting to completely place in Duo…shattered. How could she trust someone again, after Zia's little stunt? For Andraya, trust had always had the potential to equal pain, and had almost always been just that. There had only been two people who Andraya had thought completely worthy of her precious trust…__ And I just killed one and left the other. Well, this puts me in a marvelous position!_

            A red blip on her Gundam's radar snapped Andraya back to reality as it beeped its alert. _Damn! It's Duo! Though she had no way of confirming this, Andraya was sure it would be her new ally coming to bring her back to Howard's hangar. __Or maybe not…she thought, remembering the vexing look she had last seen occupying her comrade's face._

            The blip continued to close in on ArcticBlaze. _I can't let him catch me! Franticly, Andraya searched for a way to avoid the Gundam now only a few kilometers away from her position, but to no avail. With a frustrated groan, Andraya sat up straight again, causing her to see land on her 180° viewscreen._

            "Finally!" she said aloud, at last finding what she had been looking for. She could be at the base in less than a minute if she went full-speed! Giving full power to her Gundam's thrusters, Andraya zoomed away from the ever-closing blip and towards her destination. _Perhaps my final destination…_

+-~-+-~-+-~-+-~-+-~-+-~-+-~-+-~-+-~-+-~-+-~-+

            "Damn it, Andraya!" Duo exclaimed, noticing ArcticBlaze's sudden acceleration. He had his cloak on, but had forgotten that Andraya's Gundam, being so similar to his, could still detect him closing in on her. _She probably thinks I'm still angry with her…great._

_            Duo fed what little fuel he had left to his own Gundam's thrusters, and removed the cloak to gain as much power as possible to try and catch up to his new ally. He had no idea what she was about to do, or even where she was headed. His guess was that she wasn't acting rationally, in whatever she was doing, due to the emotional war most likely raging inside of her. Her best friend had betrayed her, one of the few she had placed her trust in, Duo knew._

            _Andraya…just please let me help you!_

            He reached the coast of the land Andraya had headed for, and continued to follow her blip on his radar. His comm system had failed again, with its usual impeccable timing. He was sure he could talk her out of doing this! _Talk her out of doing WHAT though?_

+-~-+-~-+-~-+-~-+-~-+-~-+-~-+-~-+-~-+-~-+-~-+

            At last Andraya reached the destination she had been heading towards since the second she took off from the hangar. Not that she never planned to go back there, as Duo most likely thought. She was still on his side! She just had a little matter of revenge to take care of before she resumed her duty as a Gundam pilot.

            Hovering over the woods adjacent to the OZ base, she contemplated the best weapon to use. Of course the self-destruct mechanism had entered her thoughts, but only as a last resort. _I'll just have to wage an all-out war on them first!!_

            Rushing towards the Tokyo Main OZ Base, she brought her freeze rifle down even with one wing of the mammoth establishment. Pulling the trigger without a second thought, the wing shattered, just as Zia had. _Good. This is what they deserve!_

_            By now warning lights sprinkled over the length of the base had begun to flash and wail, alerting the soldiers to begin the battle. __Damn! I should have taken out the Leos first! Hastily, she activated her beam saber and slashed madly at the weak mobile suits, even as the OZ soldiers entered them for battle. The few that she missed on the ground she took out in the air with the small cannons mounted on either side of her mobile suit's gargantuan head._

            Grabbing her freeze rifle again, she destroyed yet another wing of the base. Comm message after comm message tried to get her attention on the console below her viewscreen, but none succeeded. She was too intent on destroying the base. _The monsters that turned innocent people into bloodthirsty soldiers who betray their closest friends!_

_            Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of Deathscythe hovering over the woods at the edge of the battle. __Why is he just standing there!! He should…be trying to stop me, or help me! Or…something!_

            Andraya paid him little attention as she continued her onslaught of the base Zia had resided in during her final hours. Her hatred for OZ in general that had built up during her enlightening talks with the Gundam pilots and scientists was finally coming to the surface, riding on the edge of her sanity. No Zero system was needed to give her the edge in battle here, she had enough hatred and feeling of betrayal in her to suffice as fuel for the mad attack she was raining down on the OZ base before her.

            Finally, nothing remained of the base but ashes and ice, an odd combination for the after-effects of a battle. Setting her Gundam down where a building stood only moments before, Andraya breathed heavily in her seat, still sitting bolt upright and staring wide-eyed at the viewscreen. Slowly, she calmed herself enough to relax back into a normal sitting position, with her eyes in focus on the snow outside. _Snow…?_

_            Opening the cockpit entrance, Andraya stepped up to the ledge and observed the scene she had created. Discolored snow fell from the sky in soft flake-like particles, though Andraya knew the real substance of these small crystals. Holding out her hand, she caught a few of them, the particles that held the lives of the people she had just killed, their home, their calling, their deceit. She leaped to the ground, crunching the "snow" as she did so. The nuclear winter-like flakes continued to fall as Andraya walked towards a small pile of scrap that had escaped her onslaught. Bending down, she brushed away some of the icy crystals to reveal a picture frame, its glass broken and its form bent almost beyond recognition._

            Almost.

            Andraya removed the glass shards to reveal a photograph of herself and Zia the day they were sworn into the OZ Organization. They were standing side by side, with their arms around each other's OZ-insignia clad shoulders. And they were smiling.

            Andraya fell to her knees, crumpling the picture as she did so. She clutched it to her chest, and to her slight surprise, she started to cry. She never noticed Deathscythe coming to land beside her own Gundam, or the pilot that exited and rushed over to her weeping form. She did, however, notice the comfort he gave her, even after she had executed a terrible act of revenge that none of the people she had just killed deserved. She had destroyed these people's homes, something all too common in her life. Only none of these people had escaped.

            Still clutching the photograph close to her, she cried the icy tears of betrayal, death, and remorse into Duo's shoulder, who knew those same tears all too well from his own life, his life as The God of Death.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 

            "Hey, I know what will cheer ya up!" Duo said cheerfully to his female comrade for the umpteenth time that day. "I'll cook ya something!"

            "Duo, if you take one step into that kitchen I will be forced to shoot you. Again," Heero said from the corner, his gaze never leaving his laptop's screen in front of him.

            The pilots, who now included Quatre and Trowa, were sprawled in various positions around the sitting room adjacent to the kitchen. Most were minding their own business, save for Duo, who was still, after hours of no success, trying to get that newfound smile back on his friend's face.

            "Nah, you wouldn't do THAT, He-man! It's not like I'm gonna blow anything up!" Duo said, slowly advancing towards the kitchen. Heero avoided him until he got near the stove, at which point he removed the safety from his gun and walked casually to the doorway.

            "Maxwell, let's not forget what happened the LAST time you decided to 'cook' for us," he said simply, glaring at the braided pilot.

            "Yeah! Now THAT'S what I call Flambé!" Duo said cheerfully, opening a cabinet. "Whooee! That was some show, huh Heero!"

            "Okay, Maxwell. You've had your fun. I don't really think burning her Gundam down will cheer Andraya up any. Now GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN!" Wufei said, joining Heero in the doorway.

            "Well, if 2 out of 3 members of Stoic Gundam Pilots Anonymous wish it so, then I guess it will be so!" Duo said grumpily, pushing past his comrades into the sitting room once again. Seeing Andraya still sitting on the couch staring into space, he sighed heavily. "C'mon Andraya…"

            Andraya looked up at him, her eyes empty and void of any emotion whatsoever. This was not the girl he remembered from just 2 days ago…

            "What if I took you somewhere," he finally suggested, after a few moments of silence. He sat down beside her, and looked into her dead eyes. "Someplace fun," he continued, still not knowing exactly where he had in mind.

            "Like where." She didn't ask it, as a matter of fact, her voice was complete monotone.

            "Umm, good question, babe! I have no idea!" He rose, and grabbed Andraya's hand. "So let's find out!" he said, dragging his comrade to a standing position and eventually out the door. He continued to drag her down the hallway until they reached the hangar.

            "Ya know, this would be a LOT easier if you would go on your own free will," he said, turning to face her. He started slightly with the action. She looked so…dead, like she had seen a ghost and was never able to lose that image. _Which, I guess, she has… he thought, squeezing her hand slightly. She looked up, but her eyes remained emotionless. She was gone to him, at least for now._

            He sighed again. _What can I possibly do to cheer her up… He dropped her hand, which proceeded to fall limply at her side. "Ya know," he said gently, looking deep into Andraya's blank eyes. "Before the Maxwell Tragedy, a nun there once gave me something very special that made me feel better about things in general. Now, I've tried this before on you, but I think it just might be the thing to cheer you up now," he finished, resting his hands on her shoulders. To his surprise, he found her to be shaking ever so slightly. Though he knew all too well what deep internal pain felt like, he didn't think that he had ever experienced anything like this before._

            He sighed, then wrapped his arms around her, hugging her gently. He didn't expect a response, causing him to start with surprise when he felt the embrace returned. He heard the sounds of her weeping against his shoulder, the now familiar and one of the only sounds that he had heard from her lately. He rubbed her back gently, whispering to her that it would be okay, even though he knew that it never really would be. This was Andraya's own Maxwell Tragedy, which is perhaps why she earned such strong sympathy from him. Even if he could not directly relate to her personal situation, he knew enough about losing loved ones to feel a strong connection with the girl in his embrace. A connection that could, and would, he was sure, only get stronger over time, bringing him closer to her than anyone had ever gotten before. 

+-~-+-~-+-~-+-~-+-~-+-~-+-~-+-~-+-~-+-~-+-~-+

            The simple hug had been enough to snap Andraya back to reality, proving to her that people really cared that she was hurting, and wouldn't just shun her, as she was accustomed to in the past. Just as she had the night before, Andraya felt safe in Duo's arms, with him comforting her gently. No one had ever done that for her, no one had ever cared. The memories of Zia doing such things were memories Andraya was trying to push out of her mind, and even she had not made Andraya feel so safe. Ever since her first home was destroyed, she had never felt in the slightest sense secure. But now she had someone who could provide safety for her with a simple hug. She considered herself one of the luckiest people in the world for being able to find something so rare in this age of war and fighting. Such a strong comrade, such a sense of safety…very precious things to a lost wandering soldier such as Andraya. Her heart was almost hardened to the point of never feeling emotion at all…and then she had met Duo. 

Still in his arms, though she had ceased crying long ago, she sighed in content, which only made Duo hug her tighter. But now she was back to her old self again, and knew she had to prove it to her obviously very worried friend.

            Gently pulling away, she looked at Duo mock-accusingly. "Hey, didn't you say you were gonna take me somewhere?" she asked, amusement sparkling in her eyes once more.

            "Oh, right! Well, come on…I think I know just the place," Duo said, once again grabbing her hand, smiling from ear to ear as he did so. _She's back to her old self, he thought happily, causing his grin to continue widening as they entered the hangar. Telling her to fire up Arcticblaze, Duo headed for his own Gundam, thinking about the recent events as he did so. __Was I really the one to cheer her up? he thought, happy that the answer seemed to be "yes". With another big smile in Andraya's direction, he leaped into his Gundam's cockpit and brought Deathscythe to life. __Maybe…maybe I can get close to her and **not lose her, he thought hopefully, **__after all, she seems to have had the same problem, and I'm still here._

Sorry it took so long, guyz!! I'm really trying here, its just a bad combo of lack of ideas and too much to do that's getting me behind on this. And I know that's not the greatest place to end the chapter, but I promised I'd get something up by Wednesday, so here's something to hold you to probably next week. Thanks for sticking with this story, and remember, REVIEWS MAKE HAPPY PEOPLE!!! J


	11. Chapter 11: The Lunar System

A/N: Sorry the last chapter was so short…to be honest, it was just a filler chapter while I figured out how to get the REAL plot into motion. And so, here it is! Enough of the preliminaries, and onto the show!! For those of you who wanna see romance, patience! It's coming…I just have to set all this other stuff up first! So sit back, relax, and read the beginning of the real Arcticblaze…hey, the chapters even have names from now on! And, as always, R&R please!!! *hugs reviews* I love em! Chapter 11: The Lunar System 

            "Alright, Andraya, when we get outside just follow--" Duo's words were cut off by a sudden harsh alarm filling the air with sound. "Aw, DAMN!" the male pilot cried, slamming his fists on Deathscythe's control panel. Reluctantly, he set his Gundam back in its place along the wall, and lept back to the catwalk, seeing Andraya do the same. The Mission Alert alarm continued for another moment or two, then shut off, having fulfilled its job of alerting the pilots in the hangar to the new mission at hand.

            Andraya and Duo silently walked back down the hallway until they reached the first room Andraya had entered in the hangar, the scientist's lab. They walked through the open door and took a seat around the table, joining the other pilots. Dr. J, the only scientist present, looked grave as he nodded to the newcomers.

            "Now that everyone's here, I'll begin the briefing," the scientist said, shutting off the lights to the room and turning on a small projector, similar to the one Andraya had first seen Arcticblaze on. A picture of a large OZ base appeared on the blank wall behind the scientist.

            "This is the OZ base in Hong Kong, second in command after the base in Tokyo, which makes it the base in charge of all OZ personnel on the planet at the moment," Dr. J paused to give a slightly stern look to Andraya. "There has been word that the base in Tokyo had been developing a new system for Mobile Suits, somewhat similar to the Zero system. We do not know the extents or the restrictions of this new system design, and thought it no matter after OZ Tokyo was destroyed. However," the scientist turned to face the group, clenching and unclenching is claw as he did so. "We now have gotten word from an undercover ally in OZ Hong Kong that they, too, are in possession of the plans for the new system, and so it still presents us with a rather large problem." He paused to project a new image on the wall. There were specs of an unfamiliar mobile suit and system, with the words "Lunar System" across the top. "The system has been codenamed by OZ as the 'Lunar System', due to its origin in the OZ Lunar Base. However, that is basically all we know of it. These specs are simply our own Zero system rearranged in a way that would not alter the function or the effect of the system in battle.

            "You may be wondering why I called all 6 of you here, when finding information seems like a relatively textbook mission," the scientist continued, looking each of the pilots in the eye. "Since the recent mass destruction of OZ bases across the globe by both rebel groups and Gundams alike, I need the most personnel I can get in order to efficiently bypass security, infiltrate, obtain information, and escape safely. This mission is not as easy as it seems. Security has been severely enhanced since any of you infiltrated a base. Some of you may be captured, but that is simply something we will have to risk. Hence calling all of you here."

            "What are our assignments?" Heero said flatly, wanting to get this new mission over and done with.

            "The plan, as we have designed it, is to have four Gundams distract the mobile suits the base has at the ready, and possibly destroy some, hopefully most, of them. During this distraction, two pilots will act as OZ soldiers being transferred from another base, and be signed in quickly due to the attacking Gundam and upset at the base already. No questions will be asked.

            "Once these two pilots have successfully infiltrated and become part of the base personnel, they will attempt to access the information needed in a legitimate manner, as if they needed it for a report. If they are denied the information, they will get it forcefully. If this is the case, the other 4 pilots will descend on the base and attack. However, this is only our last resort. We don't want to be found out if we don't have to be. If we can obtain this information without drawing attention to the Gundams, then we have a chance of possibly stealing the new system and the mobile suit it's in, which will seriously set back OZ if an erasing of all the plans accompanies it," Dr. J concluded. "Volunteers for positions?" he asked, turning the lights back on and shutting off the projector.

            "I'll infiltrate," Andraya volunteered. "It was my forte back at OZ. Plus, I may not be seen as suspicious. My files are still in OZ's database."

            "Very good," Dr. J said, typing on a laptop in front of him. "I need--"

            "I'll infiltrate also," Duo said, a serious look occupying his usually happy-go-lucky features.

            "Alright," Dr. J said, almost expecting the response. "That leaves Heero, Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei as the attack team. We will meet in the hangar tomorrow at 0800 hours. You're dismissed."

            The pilots all nodded and got up to leave. "Andraya," Dr. J called after the bunch. The female pilot turned around and obeyed the scientist's gesture to come and speak with him privately. Duo lingered outside the door, curious as to what was going on.

            "Andraya," the scientists said quietly, "I must warn you that there are rather…_seedy characters in the Hong Kong base. Not to discriminate, but being that they have a notorious reputation for, well, not being too kind to females--"_

            "I can handle it, Dr. J. Thanks for the concern though," Andraya said, unfazed by the scientist's precaution.

            "Are you sure? I can get another pilot--"

            "Dr. J, I've seen the type, if not the actual people themselves. I can deal with that. I'm not just another weak woman soldier."

            "I never said that. Just preparing you for your mission, 06."

            "Thanks. 'Cya tomorrow. 0800!" She called cheerfully over her shoulder as she exited the room. She turned and walked down the hall to her dorm, shaking her head slightly as she did so. _I still__ haven't proven my worth to them. I got the loyalty part down, but complete trust and faith is still lacking. She punched in the key combo to get into her quarters, and walked in. The door shut automatically behind her. __Well, that's a thought for another day. Tomorrow I'll go on an easy mission and prove something__ to them, even if it's just my knack for stealth. She undressed, got into bed, and shut off the lights._

            _Yeah…tomorrow I'll prove myself to them._


End file.
